Publications by authors named "Lauretta El Hayek"

Chromatin regulation plays a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining cellular identity and is one of the top pathways disrupted in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The hippocampus, composed of distinct cell types, is often affected in patients with ASD. However, the specific hippocampal cell types and their transcriptional programs that are dysregulated in ASD are unknown.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers found a gene called KDM5A by studying mice that had trouble making sounds, and when they turned off this gene in mice, the mice stopped vocalizing and showed other problems like being less social and having trouble thinking.
  • * They also looked at the genes of humans with ASD who can't speak and found some changes in the KDM5A gene, which shows how important this gene is for how the brain develops and works.
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Rationale: Previous studies suggested that methionine (Met) levels are decreased in depressed patients. However, whether the decrease in this amino acid is important for phenotypic behaviors associated with depression has not been deciphered.

Objective: The response of individuals to chronic stress is variable, with some individuals developing depression and others becoming resilient to stress.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate how nicotine in the context of water pipe tobacco smoking (WTS) affects depression and anxiety-like behaviors associated with chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). Male C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to WTS or received intraperitoneal injections of nicotine for thirty days then subjected to CSDS for ten days. During CSDS, mice were exposed to WTS or received nicotine injections.

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Article Synopsis
  • Individuals respond differently to chronic stress, with some developing depression while others remain resilient.
  • The study investigated the impact of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) on stress susceptibility in mice, finding that BCAA improved resilience and social behavior by enhancing BDNF/TRKB signaling in the brain.
  • The research also showed that both voluntary exercise and high protein diets increase resistance to stress, but combining them didn’t provide additional benefits as they activate similar biological pathways.
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Exercise promotes learning and memory formation. These effects depend on increases in hippocampal BDNF, a growth factor associated with cognitive improvement and the alleviation of depression symptoms. Identifying molecules that are produced during exercise and that mediate hippocampal expression will allow us to harness the therapeutic potential of exercise.

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Chronic stress promotes depression in some individuals, but has no effect in others. Susceptible individuals exhibit social avoidance and anxious behavior and ultimately develop depression, whereas resilient individuals live normally. Exercise counteracts the effects of stress.

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Exercise induces beneficial responses in the brain, which is accompanied by an increase in BDNF, a trophic factor associated with cognitive improvement and the alleviation of depression and anxiety. However, the exact mechanisms whereby physical exercise produces an induction in brain Bdnf gene expression are not well understood. While pharmacological doses of HDAC inhibitors exert positive effects on Bdnf gene transcription, the inhibitors represent small molecules that do not occur in vivo.

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